Can The Caged Heart Still Sing
by HanVanHell
Summary: A story of a loner with a tragic past who visits Shizume City only to get caught up in the events of the Anime. She must face her past, her fears, and her cynicism in order to press forward. Caught between hate and love, she also has to overcome the annoyance of a language barrier. Might change to T in the future.
1. Welcome to Shizume City

**_This is my first fanfiction in a long time and i am quite excited about it. Many have told me that i use to many big words so let me know if i need to tone it down a bit. I want to make this story as factual and realistic as possible, using accurate information concerning Japan and the K Project Universe. If i missed something that you know, drop me a line. I will be thrilled to get messages from everyone. They first chapter is a little slow and angty but we will be leaping into the action as soon as possible. Im leaving the heroine a bit of a mystery for a reason so dont get all "arrgh who the heck is she"... patience my young grasshopper. I have not decided if this will be a romance or not, or if i should add Kuroh, Shiro, Neko into the tale. But...the night is young. I have time to plan. Enjoy_**

_Arriving in Shizume City_

She had been here less than an hour, and already, our stoic young heroine was feeling conflicted and confused. Being a temperamental and lonely drifter, she had

been many places that she would never call home, and seen many sights that she would never see again, and yet it had never bothered her, for she was quite

content to go on drifting, until this moment. Staring at skyline of this sprawling advanced city, she had an epiphany. For the first time in her life, she wanted to settle

down, work, and stop being an unproductive "hippie". This conflicted with everything she had ever done, and turmoil rose up inside her. Heaving a sigh of disgust

and regret, she looked at the lights of Shizume City, the technology capital of the world. It was quite a secretive place though. Outsiders were frowned upon, and they

had an incredibly hard time getting passes for more than a week, unless they had special leave from the Government. Rumors had reached our cynical heroine that

strange things happened there. Strange occurrences that was more magical than logical. Whispers on the street told of kings and people with psychic abnormalities

that had been affected by the chemical fumes of this new metropolis. Being the pragmatist that she was she didn't pay too much attention to the stories; however,

the whispers and secrets enticed her enough that she had felt forced to see for herself. And her she was, feeling confused, yet having a sense of peace that she had

never felt before, a sense of belonging. It was a novel thought, and her face screwed up into a twisted smile. She was definitely overstaying her three day pass, rules

or not. Plunging her hands into her sweatshirt, our heroine scanned the crowds, the cafes, the skyline, keeping an observant yet relaxed eye on her surroundings, a

knack she had picked up from years of parkour*and city living. Pulling her hood over her forehead, she made her way down to the ocean, and took in the magnificent

site. A crystal bridge (so it seemed to her in the sunlight) similar to the Rainbow Bridge of Nordic Legend glittered in the early afternoon sunshine, with trains running

back and forth on the underside of the structure. She sucked in her breathe, visibly impressed, and let me tell you, it took a lot to impress this young lady. She had

been rock climbing in Tibet, surfing in Hawaii, and many other adventures that had made her immune to beauty in this world, but this, this mixture of nature and

manmade innovation made her feel like a new person. Finally turning away, she slipped back into the crowd. For such a tight knit and close mouthed community, (as

she sarcastically called it) there were many different types of people, of all colors and backgrounds, running every possible type of business. It was a clean,

somewhat sterile sort of city, but it was the perfect one to start over in, especially for forgetting one's bad past. Taking in a breathe of the refreshing (by city's

standards) air, she gave a startled yelp as she ran into a short stubby machine that looked vaguely like an Artoo Unit. _The heck? _She thought as it rolled over her

foot, squeaking and acting like a vacuum cleaner. It finally dawned on her that this was the new prototype in city cleaning that hadn't even made its way to America

yet. In America it was still a bit of an urban legend….robots that lived in harmony with humans were still a thing of the future to the rest of the world. _Imagine that. _

Seeing that the sun was starting to sink deeper into the skyline, she hastily looked around for an inexpensive eatery. She spotted a Noodle shop and darted across

the street. And then hell broke loose. Men in blue ran by her, pushing her over, and shouting orders. She had just gotten to her feet after vocalizing a few choice

words when a shimmery form dashed between her and the blues and bowled her over again, and took off down the street. The starched suits slid around and then

vanished from the site. _The nerve of it all._ She thought in disgust, and cautiously entered the building, on the lookout for more sparkly vampires and men in black,

ahem, blue, that might cause danger to her person. So much for all the rumors of a "safe and regulated" city, people sure where rude and obnoxious. The proprietor

took her order of udon soup, and bade her take a seat at one of the bar stools*. Straightening her back she took a moment to work on a light breathing exercise that

would help with her jetlag when she heard a loud "Tch," two seats down. "This is my day off you know," came a bored yet peeved voice. The girl surreptitiously took a

peek as the waitress placed the soup down, and she saw a preppy looking dude with glasses and shaggy hair glaring at his phone. "Lieutenant, I don't care if there

was an incident right outside this building. I'm not on dut...tch. As you wish." He clicked his teeth together and slammed the poor phone shut. He stood up hastily,

and said in a seriously annoyed voice, "Put it on my tab." And then he stalked out the door. Slurping her noodles, she watched the exchange with detached interest,

having a languid curiosity in people and how they acted. The guy was tall and casually dressed but probably police, she mused, remembering his exchange with the

"Lieutenant." The girl shrugged. Men were dangerous and complex creatures and she had no desire to get close to one. Ever. Paying, she asked for directions to her

hotel, but her tourist Japanese wasn't so good, and her host's English was no better, so with a sigh she left to find another victim. Wandering about, she hoisted her

well-worn traveler's knapsack a little higher and spotted her prey. A gentle looking man about her age with an ancient looking video camera was recording a flower

stand. "Yo,eigo wo hanase masu ka?" She hoped she was saying what the guidebook said to say, which was "Do you speak english?" He smiled at her with beautiful,

soft eyes. He said in halting Americano, "A little." "Do you know where the Shinbashi Hotel in the New Tokyo quarter is?" He blinked twice, as if thinking of the right

words to form. Then his eyes lit up. "I live by there, um, close by it, oh, near? Yes, I can show the way." Giving a small smile, she followed him down the bustling

roads of the most incredible city in existence. Thanking her guide, she gave a somewhat awkward bow then entered the hotel. The staff was efficient yet wary. They

pointed out that she would have to leave by midnight of her third day, and then gave our amused heroine the keys to an economy room. Throwing down her

knapsack and yanking off her scruffy hiking boots, she pulled out a well-worn spiral notebook and sat cross legged on the creaky bed. Clicking and flicking her pen a

few times she finally wrote.

_December 4th. I have arrived in the city of Shizume, Japan. For the first time in my life I feel a sense of belonging. I'm not sure how I will survive out here, but I _

_shall make it work. Even though I need to be out of here by the 7th, I'm already planning how I can stay on. Perhaps I can get an extended work pass or something. _

_What should I do with my life? What would he do if he was in my shoes? Should I have run away or should I have stayed? _

She laid back on the bed with a sigh, flipping the journal shut. She was 22 years old, and she was feeling old. Old and hateful in a way. She looked at life with the

eyes of a bitter spinster who saw youth and happiness and hated it with passion. _22 years old and nothing to show for my life, _she thought with scorn_._ What could

she do now at this point? Was "life" to late for her? Had she missed her opportunity of doing anything great? Stretching, she stood up and put in four cups of water

into the little coffee maker to heat up. As it boiled, she took a shower, and then made some green tea. She did a few light exercises, and then put out the light,

staring at the skyline of Shizume for who knows how long. It reminded her of a new New York City; a cleaner version of her childhood home. And it gave her hope

that a better future lay around the corner for her, she just had to go find it. And she whispered to the darkness of the room and to the almost living lights of the city,

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and i in my time have played many parts."

**What do you think? Working on Chapter 2 as we speak. Let me know any type of praise, concerns, criticisms, etc, that you can think of. **

***Parkour: is a holistic training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from A to B in the most efficient way possible. This is done using only the human body and the surroundings for propulsion, with a focus on maintaining as much momentum as possible while still remaining safe. Parkour can include obstacle courses, running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement, and the like, depending on what movement is deemed most suitable for the given situation. (from wikipedia) google for more info.**

***Noodle bars are pretty cool. They are usually tiny shops with only bar stools for seating and long counters where you look right into the kitchen. You can also customize your noodle selection with a wide variety of foodstuffs. **


	2. A Day in the City

A Day in Shizume City.

**_After extensively staring at the only aerial shot of Shizume City I gathered that it is on the Tokyo Bay in the city of Koto. The Ashinaka School would then logically be placed at the Akatsuki Pier Park, which appears to be in the water connected by a pier. I named the Quarter where Homra is situated Shinbashi because the Bar Homra is actually based on a real life bar in the Shinbashi Quarter of Tokyo._**

**_I would also like to note that this story is not going to be 100 percent canonical. I plan on changing the material a bit, though in a logical and realistic way. I also might add some spoilers from K:Missing Kings, but hopefully by the time I am ready to do that the flipping movie will be subbed and we will all have seen it. Enjoy!_**

**_With a low yawn she awoke. Shaking her head, she blinked her eyes a few times, and then stumbled out of the low bed. Throwing open the curtains, her eyes blinked owlishly in the light, and she smirked sarcastically as she looked out the window. Oh joy, a new day. Glancing at the alarm clock she saw 7:03 am in red led lights staring at her insolently, and then shaking her head, slowly meandered over to the coffee maker and brewed some green tea. Being December in Shizume, she rummaged through her satchel for something comfortable, but couldn't find anything appropriate. Scowling with disgust, she dumped the bag on the floor and rummaged through the meager possessions. She kicked the pile for good measure then donned the clothes she had worn yesterday. Making her way to the entrance, she looked out at the already lively city, took a deep breath, and plunged into the crowd._**

**Night Before at the Bar Homra**

"Totsuka, you are late," yelled a young man with choppy hair and a beanie, "cuz ya were so slow we ate everything already. And I even made my special fried rice

since Anna's birthday is coming up." Totsuka Tatara paused in the doorway, looking at his family. A family whose bond was closer than blood, for it was bound in

flame. He smiled at a young silver haired girl, tousled Yata's hat covered hair, then placed his camera on the counter. "Why were you so late Totsa kun?" said the girl

in her usual somber, mature voice. "I met a foreigner who was lost, "he explained apologetically, "she.." "Stupid flipping foreigners," griped Yata, "they should just

stay home. It's not like we need them here." He muttered under his breathe about the evil of tourists, while serving Totsuka a steaming bowl of his rice. "Ah, Totsuka,

you are back," said the proprietor of Bar Homra and second hand man to the Red King, Izumo Kansanagi, "Everything well in our beloved city?" Anna peered through

her red marble at the young man's face then gravely announced, "All is fine. Totsa kun says he saw a great many interesting things today," she tilted her head then

said, "can we see?" "Now Anna," chided Izumo gently, "let the man eat and rest, he's been out all day." His voice took on a tone of reproach at this and he glared and

the young photographer. Yata picked up Anna and the camera and headed for the worn couch where their Lord and King was residing, lazily sprawled out and staring

at everything with a mixture of laziness and feigned disinterest. He watched his kingdom in motion, as Izumo cleaned his bar with a tender hand, Yata set up the

video player, and Tosuka sat on a bar stool, leisurely eating his rice. He sat up straighter when Anna joined him on the couch, and smiled indulgently when Yata sat on

the floor at his feet, for all the world like the loyal hound much loved master. They sat together in a semicircle, enjoying this quiet time together, watching the world

of Shizume through the eyes of their much loved companion. As the reel was nearing its end, a "Yo,eigo wo hanase masu ka?"was heard in horribly mangled

Japanese. The camera shot up to reveal a tall woman with black eyes and hoodie, and a miserable _Screw__ you life _expression on her face. "Know where the Shinbashi

Hotel is?" came her voice in English this time, low for a woman, and with an unmistakably city accent. She shook her head irritably and her hoodie fell down revealing

a chiseled, tanned complexion of one who spent a lot of time outdoors. Totsuka's voice was heard replying to her in equally poor English and she actually smiled. A

smile so similar to their King, a smile of indulgence a powerful man might give to a wayward yet favored vassal. As soon as the reel ended Yata bolted up from his

seat, and pointed at the screen, "T-t-thaats the t-tourist huh?" Everyone looked at him and they saw the Vanguard of Homra with a face as red as his aura. Suoh

Mikoto opened his eyes lazily, "It would appear so," he said in his gravelly, deep voice, then stood up and walked upstairs with Anna in tow. "Yata, get out of here,"

said Izumo, brandishing his bar towel like a dreaded weapon, "Totsa, get to bed." The two gulped and fled to their respective places of sleep.

**2 Hours Later Scepter 4 Headquarters**

Fushimi stared with outright disdain at his beautiful yet overbearing superior. On his damn day off, she had dragged him to an incident, and then had punished him

for his "uncooperativeness" by making him do paperwork, followed by a tedious lecture on team spirit, or other such stupid trivialities. It was late at night and all he

wanted was to get the heck out of here. His boss, the damn four eyes Reisi Munakata, King and Captain of Scepter 4, just leisurely played with his jigsaw puzzles

while he was getting chewed out. When Seri broke in her tirade, and without looking up from his puzzle the King said softly, "Fushimi-kun, what are your opinions

about the Strain today?" With a small snort, Fushimi turned away from the Lieutenant and her look of scathing disapproval. "It seemed rather brainless," he said,

ignoring her, "however, I get the feeling it was trying to protect a companion from the way it acted erratically." "And you are correct," said the Blue King with a smile

of approval. _If I was correct, and you knew I was correct, why the hell did you ask me in the first place?_ He thought in disgust. "While the young lady we have in

custody is rather harmless, her partner is much more dangerous. In order to keep down casualties we need to bring him in at once. Fushimi-kun, I am putting you in

charge of this mission." Seri gave a barely noticeable snort, as if this was a kingly honor that Fushimi Saruhiko did not deserve, not in the slightest. The youth sighed.

He also heard Munakata's unspoken correction. _Strains are not its...strains are he's and she's. You must treat them within their rights….blah blah blah blah _rang

throughout Fushimi's head sarcastically. "Of course Sir," he said in a tone that did not convey to much respect. Turning on his heel he stalked out and headed toward

the dorms. As he was nearing his room he felt a sharp stab of pain in his shoulder. "Damn it," he muttered, and scratched at it with a strange expression on his face.

_What was little Misaki doing right now _he wondered, momentarily reminiscing. He leaned against his door and laughed, evilly and a bit psychotically. It was time to

mess around with the little Homra Captain. Maybe tomorrow he would go looking for the hothead and beat him up a bit.

**Present Day, Bar Homra December 5th**

"Yatagasaru reporting in," shouted Yata, riding his skateboard into Izumo's bar and Homra's Headquarters. Izumo Kusanagi clicked his fingers on the counter and sent a look that would chill a normal man. The young skateboarder just gave a cheeky wave and turned toward his companions. "I heard that there were some Strains on the rampage, anyone want to come with me and check it out?" He was met with silence. "Yello? People? Im talking to ya all? Where the hell is everyone," he shouted? Izumo stared from behind his designer glasses. "They are out," he said curtly, staring at the skateboard that was now rolling across the antique floor, "Mikoto is napping, and Anna and Tatara are on a walk," he smiled angelically, "now Yata Misaki, since there is no reason for you to be in my bar, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT!" Yata fled, sticking his tongue out as he went through the front door. Izumo sighed and stopped wiping the counter. He had another reason for wanting everyone gone. The beautiful Seri Awashima had hinted that she would be dropping by someday soon and he wanted to be prepared when she did. He smiled slyly when he thought of the time he had met her in the rain, and he come to her aid. He her shining knight, and she a damsel in distress. Wiping the smirk off his face, he realized he had no anko,* and texted Yata.

** Present Day, Hotel Shinbashi**

IT was around 10:00 in the morning. After finding a cheap sushi bar that was open and ordering a steaming green tea and salmon sashimi, our young protagonist set

to work. First, she went to the Department of Human Affairs and filed a request for an extension on her pass, saying she was trying to find a missing relative. Then

she went to the City Hall to file for a working permit. If those didn't work then she'd think up something else to stay on a bit longer. She spent the next hour walking

about, observing people with her watchful eyes, and getting a feel for the city. After a bit of aimless walking, she discovered she was in a not so bustling area of the

city. While not poor, it lacked skyscrapers and seemed to be made of more humble businesses. Looking around she saw another group of Blue coated running around

in confusion. _Need to stay away from them _she thought with sarcasm, and turned away when she crashed into something hard but alive. The force threw her to the

ground. Scrambling to her feet she poised her fist to attack.

**Yata's Pov**

I had no desire to get burnt alive by that uptight old man, so I did the only sensible thing, and scrammed. Feeling bummed that no one was around to help me spread

the name of Homra, I dejectedly headed for a park where I could practice some new skateboard tricks. My watched dinged and I saw the old man wanted me to get

some anko. _The heck? Who eats red bean paste around here anyway? _Grumbling about the task, I turned around and headed toward the little Shinbashi Grocery that

was about ten blocks away from the bar. Izumo looked down on the place and usually bought supplies from the high end joint in the center of town, or imported

them, but I wasn't him. I didn't have enough money to spend ¥10,000 on stupid paste when I could buy it for ¥300.* Deep in my thoughts, I didn't notice the person

right in front of me until I crashed into them. The force threw me off my skateboard and into the ground. Rolling onto my back with a groan and several curses I

grunted as a foot was thrust into my gut, and the cold glinting eyes of furious person bored into mine.

**General**

Seriously, the nerve of this middleschooler. Crashing into her with his shoddy skateboard. She rammed her foot into the kid's stomach and glared into his hazel eyes.

"Yo, punk. Whatcha problem?" Yata had an inkling of what the dude was saying, and not appreciating having a foot grinding into his gut grunted "Shut up old man."

The black eyes widened in shock, and then a sinister grin appeared, reminding him of his once best friend and now greatest enemy. "Old man you say," came the low

and smoky voice, "you wish." Grabbing him by the collar the madman shook him like a bad puppy and then flung him back to the ground. Hooking two fingers into his

hood he pulled it down to reveal, not a man like Yata had a thought, but a young woman, maybe a year or two older than him. He stammered, then blushed, then

tried to crawl away backwards. "You were saying?" she said with that same twisted smirk that that damn monkey loved using. And then he gave a gasp and turned

even redder. This was the same girl that Tatara had videoed last night and that he had been secretly admiring. His life spun before his eyes, and he felt sick. _I've got _

_to get away, I've got to get away, I've got to get away_ was all that spun around in his confused head. Tilting her head, she looked at him curiously; first as if he was

some type of bug, and then as if he was a complete goofus. She slowly extended a tan and strong hand and yanked him to his feet. Reaching down slowly she

grabbed his skateboard, spun it a few times, and then handed it to him with the same enigmatic smile she had graced on Tatara Totsuka the night before. And turned

to walk away. "Mi-i-i-s-a-a-k-i-i….."

Fushimi and three of his subordinates had tracked the male strain to Shinbushi Quarter, Homra territory. Feeling a sense of déjà vu and shaking away his

nervousness, he ordered pursuit. The Red's might kick up a fuss, but if strains were involved, they couldn't do a damn thing. The strain was trapped. The entire area

had been cordoned off and Fushimi allowed himself a moment of leisure. And saw the most astonishing thing. A girl touching Yata. Did hell freeze over? Because

that's what it seemed like. His face twisted again into a sneer of psycho happiness. Oh this was to rich. Never one to miss an opportunity where his old clansman was

concerned, he stretched out the syllables of the skateboarders name to catch his attention. Yata turned around with a yelp, his face still scarlet. "DAMN MONKEY,"

Yata screamed. Flipping his skateboard up into his hand, he charged toward the enemy with intent to kill. And froze when the girl grabbed his arm and yanked him

back. "Chill dude," she said with a smirk. If it had been a guy Yata would have slugged him, but it wasn't, it was, was, aggggh, it was a girl. You don't hit girls….right?

She looped her arm into through his in a tight lock then slowly opened up a pocket dictionary. Yata saw with horror that she was turning to the M section. _Kami _

_please, no, Kami help me _he screamed internally. He was trapped. The devil on one side and a female on the other. _Would it be unmanly to pretend to faint _he

pondered. Bad idea. The monkey, the damn traitor would persecute him for life. "Misaki," the mysterious female said slowly in a soft, feminine tone, "Beautiful

Blossom." she turned and looked at him with amusement and a bit of sympathy. "Kawaii," she said simply, and turned to walk away. Yata stood there stammering and

yammering, feeling incredibly embarrassed, yet somewhat pleased. The tourist hadn't mocked him over his girly name, but had complimented him. He blushed, then

gave a goofy grin at the young lady's retreating back. "Oooh, well isnt that sweet," mocked Fushimi, "Yata's got a girlfriend." Turning around for the third time, the

young lady wrinkled her nose, "Shut up idiot," she said in annoyance. Fushimi froze. Being the brains that he was, he understood and spoke English fluently, but he

never expected to meet an American here in Shinbashi Quarter. Most foreigners stuck to the tourist sections, so what was this annoying idiot doing over here? The

female pulled Yata against herself and berated him sharply, "Bullying kids is wrong you dumbass." Yata froze in shock. Fushimi stared in shock. _JIIIIIIIIIII* _Then

laughing raucously, Fushimi smirked, "Hear that Misaki, she thinks you're a kid. No girlfriend for you now." "Shut up you damn monkey. Im gonna kill you and leave

no Blood Bone or Ash." The girl stared in confusion then pulled out a translator. " Anata wa kodomo janai?*" "Of course I'm not a kid, baka," Yata screamed in barely

there English, "19 years old am i." The girl laughed, a tinkling sound that was pleasant to the ears of the skateboarder and made him forget his anger. "Gomen," she

said, and gave a short, awkward bow. Clicking his teeth sharply, Fushimi moved his hand to his sword, peeved at the exchange, when a glimmer grabbed the tourist

by the neck, _Shute, the strain _remembered Fushimi, kicking himself for his stupidity. The strain obviously knew the game was up, being surrounded on all sides by

the zealous blues. Feeling his best chance was to take a hostage, he grabbed the weakest looking person, our heroine. "Code blue, code blue," shouted Fushimi into

his handset, "the Strain is armed and has a hostage." Over the line the Lieutenant froze. "Fushimi kun, I will be right there. Don't let the strain touch you for it can

manipulate emotions. Repeat, I'll be right there," and cut the connection. The third in command saw how Yata froze, undecided on the course of action he should

take. He obviously was conflicted between his desire to do something rash and heroic and his fear of girls. "Aww, is little Misaki afraid?" He taunted. "shut up, shut

up," screamed the strain, eyes bloodshot, and foam at the mouth, "I'll kill this stupid human if you don't shut up...no I'll have her kill herself if you don't let me go."

He pulled out a gun and brandished it maniacally. _That would definitely be bad for tourism _Fushimi thought wryly. The strain reached out with his mind toward the

pitiful human female and sent commands for her to kill herself. Pushing through the cracks, he was in. _Lonely lonely lonely dark dark death death death blackness _

_sadness murder sad death loss sad lonely love _the thoughts flowed into his mind paralyzing the strain. Pure darkness swallowed him and he felt himself sinking in the

misery. The rawness of the emotions and the murderous intent pressed down on his mind and he screamed "Bakemono*," before releasing the girl. He flung his arms

into the air right before she sucker punched him in the face. Brushing the dust off her clothes, she surveyed the unconscious man with amusement. "Well, that ended

well," she said wryly. Yata just stared at her with his mouth open in shock. He had no idea what she said but he was impressed with the way she had handled herself

with cool and calm. Fushimi just narrowed his eyes. This was a frikking strain. How the hell did she break the mind control? As he was pondering this the strain

leaped to his feet and brandished his gun in the direction of Yata and the girl. "You are all going to die. There is no dawn for men," he raved "Don't talk," he

screamed, as he saw the girl lean toward Yata. She put her hand on Yata's in a reassuring way. "If you kill me you lose your bargaining chip," the mystery girl said.

The strain just started screaming some more. "Non comprende ingles I see," the girl said sarcastically, "is stuck up four eyes the only one that does?" The strain

stalked closer, foam spraying from his mouth in anger. The girl just smirked and grabbed Yata's hair, pulling him up for a kiss. The strain, Fushimi, and Yata all

experienced momentary heart failure from the shock. Grabbing the skateboard from Yata's frozen fingers, she whammed the side of it into the strain's head with all

her might. He crumbled, and was out for good this time. "Arigatao Misaki," she said with a grin, mispronouncing thank you. And before she could make her escape

Fushimi grabbed her by the collar and tossed her to the ground. "We can kill each other later, Misaki," he said gritting his teeth in anger, as he saw Seri Awashima and

three other Blue clansmen hurrying toward them, "but I have a little business with Miss America first. Now get out of here before you have a seizure you _shinsei _

_doutei._*" Yata's sharp and violent retort never materialized, for he was so stunned by his first kiss that he really looked like he was having a seizure. Muttering

something about buying anko under his breath, he dashed away. Fushimi narrowed his eyes. None of those idiots used the stuff; the only one who could stand it was

his Lieutenant. "Now little miss know it all," he said, switching to English and turning his attention to the pissed off American, "wh…" "Fushimi Saruhiko, unhand that

woman at once," came the sharp voice of speak of the devil, his Lieutenant, "how dare you molest a woman, especially when in uniform." "Woman, what woman?" he

said sarcastically, "I don't see anything vaguely female around here." Seri's face turned a crimson shade and she grabbed Fushimi by the ear. "Little brat," she ground

out, "now what is this all about." "Caught the strain, confronted a Red, nearly had a heart attack," he said laconically, wrenching his superior's hand off him while still

keeping a grip on the mystery girl. "And who is this woman... your lover?" Fushimi coughed violently. _What the hell was with the female species today? _"She is most

certainly not," he said, in an unamused, almost dangerous tone. "Then why by the Dresden slates are you touching her you idiot? Do you want to shame us all?"

_Sure, why not _he thought angrily. "You," she said turning toward the demon in female flesh, "what are you doing here?" "Non comprende," the American said airily,

then swiftly jabbed Fushimi in the gut and threw his hand off her collar. "You, little, bi...t…." "Fushimi," Seri sharply corrected. She turned to the girl who had a highly

pleased expression. "I take it you do not like him, right?" The lieutenant asked in halting English. "Dislike would be the understatement of the year," she replied.

"Please state your name, age, country of origin, travel pass, and license," said Awashima, turning all business like. "Maybe I don't have one?" she said snarkily. The

right hand woman of Scepter 4 narrowed her eyes, "Perhaps you are a confederate of the rogues?" she asked slowly, "maybe you helped them ship in these illegal

weapons in?" She whirled around as a hand tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me, Seri-san," said a pleasant voice in Japanese, "but I do believe you are mistaken. This

young lady arrived from America yesterday and I helped her around. She is most assuredly not involved with the strains." Everyone blinked as Totsuka Tatara and

Anna Kushina appeared. "I must admit that we saw everything, safety from the shadows at that," he said in an apologetic voice, "and Anna also agrees that she is

not an enemy." Seri seemed a little disconcerted by the arrival of this unlikely duo. She had never understood the weakest man of the Red Clan, and his pacifistic

nature had always stumped her. Anna Kushina, the small and doll like "Princess" of the Reds disturbed her even more. Being a clairvoyant strain wasn't the only

problem. Rumors had reached her that this little girl had the potential to be the Blue King, and personally, the very idea freaked her out. "Ahem," she coughed, "I

see. I still need your identification though Ms."

After giving Totsuka a small smile, and noticing that his companion, a small, silver haired girl, kept staring at her, she threw her Shizume travel id card at the

uniformed woman in blue and sneered. "Everything's in order," she said, "so don't be too disappointed that you can't cart me off, stupid police wannabe." Fushimi

grunted and turned away, and his superior coolly returned the pass. "Enjoy your stay in Japan, Ms. Harris. Please keep in mind, that we, Scepter 4, will arrest you if

you are not out of the city by 12:00 midnight December 7th." She gestured to her men and they all walked off. "Thanks for the help pal," 'Ms. Harris' said to Totsuka.

He just stared at her with a smile, not understanding most of what she said. "I still cant understand why that police lady gave up so easily. Something's gotta be up,"

she added, then looked at the two. "Black," said the little girl, then motioning to her companion she walked down the street, leaving a bemused American in their

wake.

**Bar Homra, Evening**

"Aww, little Yata's all grown up now," the men of Homra teased, "was she cute? Pretty?" Yata sat miserably on the couch with his head in under a pillow. After Anna

had mistakenly announced that a female had grabbed Yata and touched her lips to his, he hadnt had a moment of peace. Totsuka tried to shush her up but it was too

late. Homra's Vanguard's fate was sealed. "SHUT UP," he finally screamed, and dashed out of the bar as the last of the winter sun sank beneath the skyline. "Did I say

something wrong?" asked Anna innocently, as Totsuka tried to do damage control. "Everyone out," growled Izumo, brandishing his bar towel like it was a weapon of

mass destruction. He was feeling slightly peeved. Seri had never arrived because she was dealing with Yata, who never bought the anko because some female kissed

him, a female who had no business kissing him in the first place, and thus, if Ms. Awashima did show up, he would not be able to make the drink that she had

requested. Everyone laughed at his irritableness, and Chitose, the damn womanizer, even had the nerve to ask if he was having lady problems. As everyone trooped

out, all that was left was Izumo, Totsuka, Anna, and of course, the Red King. They all lived above Bar Homra as one happy little family. Anna looked around, feeling

content even in the midst of her monochrome and red world. Sighing, she headed for the couch and cuddled up next to Mikoto, who lazily plucked his cigarette out of

his mouth and extinguished it. She, the Red Princess, had Totsuka as a brother, Izumo for a father, and Mikoto as her lion, and she was happy. Until she remembered

the strange girl she had met today. Humans were either colorless or Red. But this girl was black. It flickered and waved like a candle flame, which had intrigued the

little Princess. A black flame, how very curious.

**Scepter 4, Evening**

"Why did you let that female witch get off so easily," Fushimi berated, as politely as possible, his Lieutenant. He had an ice pack held to his stomach and Seri

suspected if one was were to lift his jacket and shirt there would be a very noticeable black and blue mark. She froze, and blushed slightly at the thought. "Ahem,"

she coughed, "I…" "You're afraid of Anna aren't you," said her troublesome charge with a speculative gleam in his eye. Awashima frowned. The knowledge that the

Strain Anna Kushina had once been a candidate for the Blue King's position was a closely guarded secret, if it was even true at all. Fushimi couldn't know that, could

he? He was a genius, even if she hated to admit it, and highly observant. If only he could get rid of his perpetually bored expression and his hatred for all humans, he

would be an amazing person. "I didn't want a scene with any Red clansmen while in their territory. I plan to do a full report on that girl and a thorough background

search. Now kindly stop sulking. You got what you deserve for man handling a woman like it. And Fushumi kun, make sure you finish your report."

***anko is the red bean paste that Seri Awashima loves putting on everything edible**

*** 300 yen is about $3 dollars, and 10,000 yen would be about $ 100 dollars**

***Jiiiiii is a sound affect used in manga and some anime to indicate a long stare or if someone has been frozen in shock**

***Mangled Japanese for "You're not a kid?"**

*** Meaning a bona fide male virgin, or a male virgin for life. Usually used to insult a guy's manhood**

***Bakemono is the more common word for saying Monster**

**I was half asleep when i wrote this, so if i made serious grammar, please except my sincere apology. I'm also fooling around with POV's, perspectives, and times, so also apologies if there is any confusion**


End file.
